Is Refinishing Your Cabinet Doors and Drawers a Good Idea?

Modern cabinet refinishing techniques take place almost exclusively in your own house. That’s right, your cabinets don’t have to be taken out of your kitchen to undergo treatment. Instead, a cabinet refinishing company can complete a top-notch job in days instead of weeks or months. And the cost of such a job is considerably less than cabinet refacing or replacing. If you’re considering refinishing your cabinets, read on.

The basic idea behind cabinet refinishing is that you simply get everything in place, sand it all down, and then apply either a fresh coat of paint or stain to it and leave it bare. Modern materials and techniques make this approach a fast, low-cost way to give your cabinets a brand-new look that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Unfortunately, not every whole new cabinet refinishing job works. Here’s why:

Most people don’t know about cabinet refinishing services. In most cases, homeowners just want their cupboards painted back to look as good as new, which they think will cost them much less money than a full cabinet replacement. However, when people actually go to their local home improvement store to find a cabinet refinishing company, they find out that the total price may include labor for installation, too. Some cabinet refinishing services actually include the actual work itself.

Cabinet resurfacing involves stripping the existing cabinetry surface and sanding it smooth. A cabinet resurfaceer (often a cabinet refinishing expert) uses high-end equipment to rough out all of the cuts lines for the specific areas of the cabinet, including the drawer fronts and the faces of the door handles and knobs. Surfaces are then ready for paint with a finish that matches the color of the wood being stained. Some cabinets get a special treatment of surface preparation, which is called a clear coat, and are finished with a clear veneer that hides all defects and scratches so everything looks uniform.

The benefits of cabinet refacing are twofold. First, refaced cabinets tend to last much longer than stock-applied replacements. Second, they’re much easier to install because the cabinet surfaces are much more flat and smooth. Since all of the work is done at the factory, everything snaps together better and there are no loose hardware or screws once the kit is installed. There are even some manufacturers that can do the whole process from start to finish, including applying the finishing stain and veneer. This allows for a more customized look and feel to the room.

Cabinet refacing isn’t for everyone. If your cabinets doors and drawer fronts need a good coat of paint and you’re not good at installing them yourself, it may not be a good idea. Also, if you plan on doing most of the work yourself, you’ll need a lot of patience and tools. You may want to hire a carpenter or have one to do it for you. It’s best to measure twice and cut once – and that’s just the way it goes with refinishing cabinets doors and drawer fronts.